Author

ORCID ID

Date Awarded

2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Department

Education

Advisor

Margaret E Constantino

Committee Member

Christipher R Gareis

Committee Member

Stephanie J Blackmon

Abstract

While K-12 schools have been making efforts to integrate culturally responsive curriculum and instruction, the voice and representation of Black female students has been largely ignored. Overdisciplinary practices, high dropout rates, a likelihood to be incarcerated, exposure to sexual violence, and familial obligations have negatively impacted the academic achievement of some Black female students. Thus, educational leaders can try to find ways to acknowledge the unique needs of Black female students through reconceptualizing curriculum. The purpose of this study was to examine current curricula within a particular school district for strategies and practices that may be responsive to the needs of Black female students, as well as to include the voices of Black female students who attended schools in the same district to examine their perspectives. The reconceptualist theoretical framework, as well as existing literature on Black female students’ needs, and culturally responsive curriculum methodology was used to create a coding framework. A qualitative content analysis (QCA) was conducted with the collected data (i.e., existing curricula and interviews from Black female students) using the coding framework. Four categories emerged and maintained throughout the QCA for reconceptualizing the curriculum in response to the needs of Black female students: student ownership, collaborative and authentic experiences, critical pedagogy, and cultural responsiveness and cultural competence. Educational leaders can integrate strategies, such as goal-setting, cooperative learning, including diverse perspectives in materials, and assessing students’ prior knowledge, into the formal curriculum to respond to Black female students’ academic needs.